NWS Duluth Predicts Colder Winter With More Snow
The National Weather Service has shared its outlook for the upcoming winter season. They stress that the outlook is not an indicator of daily weather events. It's an outlook for the entire season. Short weather patterns play a big role in the changes in temperature and precipitation. That aside, here's their best guess on what our upcoming winter will be.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting below-normal temperatures for our region and above-average precipitation. However, they say the changes are expected to be slight, and they have low confidence in the models at this point.
La Nina Season
We're entering a winter that's being affected by La Niña. That's when unusually cold ocean temperatures near the equator in the Pacific Ocean affect our weather patterns. It typically causes warmer winters in the southeast of the US and colder weather in the Northwest. With the Midwest being right in the middle of the Pacific Jet Stream, it can be highly variable.
The National Weather Service in Duluth examined historical data from La Niña winters dating back to 2005 and stated that there is no such thing as a typical weak La Niña winter for our area.
Snowfall Expectations
They looked at the average snowfall over several La Niña winters that were similar. From 1991 to 2020, the average amount of snow was 50.6" in Duluth. Some winters had much more snow, like the 1996-1997 winter that had 86.6" of snow.
Drought Conditions Expected To Persist Through Winter
They expect that the drought conditions will continue through the winter season. NOAA will share its next winter outlook on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
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